;i6 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION 



due to the locking up of the secretions ; (d) in some cases the 

 disappearance of the vaginal portion, making the upper part of the 

 vagina continuous with the uterine canal; (e) degeneration of the 

 muscular and glandular elements ; and (/) cessation of menstruation. 

 (4) Senile changes in the vagina : (a) Shortening, narrowing, and 

 loss of elasticity ; (b) loss of pavement epithelium, and substitution 

 of a hard surface containing cicatricial tissue ; and (c) contraction of 

 the entrance to the vagina. 



FIG. 183. Section through ovary of woman of fifty-six, showing degeneration 

 of follicles and sclerosis of connective tissues. (From Sellheim.) 



(5) Senile changes in the vulva : (a) Great contraction and loss 

 of elasticity; (b) destruction of glands and follicles ; and (c) cutaneous 

 surface becoming dry and scaly. 



(6) Senile changes in the mammary glands : (a) Loss of glandular 

 elements and cessation of function ; and (b) shrinkage due to atrophic 

 loss, which, however, is sometimes compensated for by a deposition 

 of fat. 1 



1 Dudley, The Principles and Practice of Gynaecology, 4th Edition, London, 

 1905. For a further account of the atrophic changes in the uterus and other 

 generative organs, see Sellheim. 



